Originally named the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records that gave them considerable artistic freedom. Initially unpopular with critics, they achieved significant commercial success with eight studio albums over ten years. Their 1969 debut, Led Zeppelin, was a top-ten album in several countries and featured such tracks as "Good Times Bad Times", "Dazed and Confused" and "Communication Breakdown". Led Zeppelin II (1969) was their first number-one album, and yielded "Ramble On" and "Whole Lotta Love". In 1970, they released Led Zeppelin III which featured "Immigrant Song". Their untitled fourth album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV (1971), is one of the best-selling albums in history with 37 million copies sold. The album includes "Black Dog", "Rock and Roll" and "Stairway to Heaven", with the latter being among the most popular and influential works in rock history. Houses of the Holy (1973) yielded "The Ocean", "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Rain Song". Physical Graffiti (1975), a double album, featured "Trampled Under Foot" and "Kashmir".
Page wrote most of Led Zeppelin's music, particularly early in their career, while Plant wrote most of the lyrics. Jones's keyboard-based compositions later became central to their music, which featured increasing experimentation. The latter half of their career saw a series of record-breaking tours that earned the group a reputation for excess and debauchery. Although they remained commercially and critically successful, their touring and output, which included Presence (1976) and In Through the Out Door (1979), grew limited, and the group disbanded following Bonham's death in 1980. Since then, the surviving former members have sporadically collaborated and participated in one-off reunions. The most successful of these was the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in London, with Bonham's son Jason Bonham on drums.
Led Zeppelin are one of the best-selling music artists of all time; their total record sales are estimated to be between 200 and 300 million units worldwide. They achieved eight consecutive UK number-one albums and six number-one albums on the US Billboard 200, with five of their albums certified Diamond in the US. Rolling Stone magazine described them as "the heaviest band of all time", "the biggest band of the Seventies", and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history". They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; the museum's biography of the band states that they were "as influential" during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.
Albums
Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin II (1969)
Led Zeppelin III (1970)
Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
Houses of the Holy (1973)
Physical Graffiti (1975)
Presence (1976)
In Through the Out Door (1979)
Coda (1982)
07 Tea For One
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby sometimes seem to slip into days?
Oh, twenty-four hours
Baby sometimes seem to slip into days, yeah
One minute seems like a lifetime
Oh baby, when I feel this way
Sittin' lookin' at the clock
Time moves so slow
Until I just can't look no more
How come twenty four hours
Baby sometimes seems to slip into days?
A minute seems like a lifetime
Baby when I feel this way
To sing a song for you
I recall you used to say
Oh baby this one's for we two
Which in the end is you anyway
How come twenty four hours
Baby sometimes seem to slip into days?
A minute seems like a lifetime
Baby when I feel this way
There was a time that I stood tall
In the eyes of other men
But by my own choice I left you woman
And now I can't get back again
How come twenty-four hours
Sometimes seem to slip into days, yeah
Well, well, well well
A minute seems like a lifetime
Baby when I feel this way
A minute seems like a lifetime
Oh baby, when I feel this way
I feel this way
The song "Tea for One" by Led Zeppelin is about a man who is longing for his lost love. The opening lines of the song, "How come twenty four hours, baby sometimes seem to slip into days?" expresses his longing and the sense of time standing still while he is without her. The repeated line "a minute seems like a lifetime" also emphasizes his impatience to be reunited with her.
The second verse mentions the idea of singing a song for her. The line "this one's for we two, which in the end is you anyway" suggests that despite his attempts to move on and sing about someone else, he can't help but think of her. The third verse reveals that the reason for their separation was his own doing, and now he regrets it and can't go back to her.
Line by Line Meaning
How come twenty four hours Baby sometimes seem to slip into days?
The singer feels like time is moving slowly and that each day feels like it lasts longer than 24 hours.
Oh, twenty-four hours Baby sometimes seem to slip into days, yeah One minute seems like a lifetime Oh baby, when I feel this way
The singer is emphasizing this feeling of time moving slowly and how even one minute can feel like an incredibly long time.
Sittin' lookin' at the clock Time moves so slow I've been watchin' for the hands to move Until I just can't look no more
The singer is so fixated on how slowly time is moving that he is watching the clock and waiting for the hands to move, even though he knows they won't move any faster.
To sing a song for you I recall you used to say Oh baby this one's for we two Which in the end is you anyway
The artist is singing a song for someone he used to be close to, and remembers when they would say how the song was for both of them, though in reality, the person the song is for is really just the artist himself.
There was a time that I stood tall In the eyes of other men But by my own choice I left you woman And now I can't get back again
The artist used to feel confident and respected by others, but he made the choice to leave this woman and now he regrets it and can't seem to find his way back to her.
A minute seems like a lifetime Baby when I feel this way
The singer emphasizes again how one minute can feel like an incredibly long time when he is feeling this way.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY PAGE, ROBERT PLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gary Milnes
the more I listen to this song, the more i think it is the best song they ever did, so full of lonely emotion, i can sit and listen to it all day, funny thing is, back when I was 16, i used to skip this track to get onto the others, amazing what age can do to you and how it affects your musical taste.
Jacqueline Chellis
I always had a thing for the slower blues stuff. The old school bass and the snare. Add Jimmy and the Robert the thing is a masterpiece.
Nicole Ryan
I love the bluesy drops… nice and slow just jamming.. it’s def a vibe…
MegaDave
It’s the last track on the album?! 🤔
R M
I’ve had this on repeat since age 18. Cheers
Joe Kramer
It's become my favourite. Guitar on this track is alien
Dizziemiss Lizzie
Zeppelin kicks ASS! No one can touch them, in my opinion
Greatest Band ever
SDC
@John Wick OK.........In your preeminent opinion, who is it then. Gonna say Floyd again? If not then make it something good. There's only a handful that could even be considered. There's lots of great music. Past and present. Zeppelin sits above others because of the musicianship of each individual. The songs they wrote. The volume they sold. A big one is influence on other bands. The only one close really is the Beatles. C'mon let's hear it....This should be good
John Wick
@SDC well it definitely isn’t Led Zeppelin
SDC
@John Wick Nope. Not even close, and I say that loving Roger Waters and his brilliance